Royal Realities Outtakes
by kymbersmith90
Summary: A series of missing scenes from the Royal Realities Series - Read All About It and Rule The World.
1. Ruth's Revelation

**I figured that while I was working on Part 3 of the series, I would share with you some of the missing scenes I've written for the series so far.**

 **If there's something in particular that you'd like to see, please don't hesitate to let me know.**

* * *

"Good evening, Your Majesty."

"What is it, Mr. Moorcroft?" Ruth asked, as she continued working away at the papers on her desk. It was late, and all she really wanted to do was go to bed. Late night visits from her Chief of Security could only mean that there was a sleepless night ahead of her.

"I thought that this was something you should see," Moorcroft explained, as he placed a thin file onto the desk between the two of them, before stepping back a respectful distance.

Ruth had to admit, her curiosity was piqued. Usually, emergency files were much thicker than the one currently resting on her desk. She reached for it slowly, while keeping her eyes on Moorcroft's face, hoping he'd give away something about its contents before she opened it up.

Ruth flicked through the small stack of papers twice, before she finally asked, "What is it I'm looking at?"

"Tweets," Moorcroft replied.

When he said nothing else, Ruth gave him a withering look, and he hurried to clarify the situation. "They're a series of tweets sent between your granddaughter's account, and that of an actor named Killian Jones. The exchanges have grown rather flirtatious in nature, and we felt it was something to bring to your attention."

"The actor. Who is he? Is he someone to be worried about?" Ruth questioned, slipping easily into her role as protector of the family.

"Irish Catholic. Thirty-four years old. Lives and works in Vancouver. Currently has a leading role on a fairly popular US fantasy show," Moorcroft reeled off.

"None of these messages read as overtly inappropriate to me," Ruth commented, as she took her time to read each and every one. "Why should I be concerned?"

"Your granddaughter, Your Majesty..."

Ruth raised a brow in question, and Moorcroft faltered a little before he tried again. "Is it proper for Princess Emma to be engaged in such contact with a member of the opposite sex, on such a public forum? The tabloids are already picking up on the nature of their correspondence."

"Do you have a partner, Moorcroft?" Ruth asked, as she set the papers down on her desk, in a neat pile. She already knew the answer. Ruth knew the basic information about every member of her staff, no matter what position they worked.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And how did you two meet?" she continued. "Did you flirt with her? Did she flirt with you?"

"With all due respect, Ma'am, I'm not sure how this is relevant?"

"Then why is my granddaughter's flirtations with a member of the opposite sex, relevant?" Ruth questioned. "Does this _Killian Jones_ have a dark past I need to be concerned about?"

"No, Ma'am," Moorcroft rushed to assure her. He'd done plenty of checks and research on the actor when the tweets had begun. There were no dark skeletons in his closet. At all.

Moorcroft couldn't even find a speeding fine for the guy.

"Then," Ruth began, pushing all of the papers back into the folder, to slide it over the desk to her advisor, "this is absolutely no concern of ours at all. My granddaughter is a beautiful and intelligent woman. She is old enough and smart enough to make her own decisions about who she wishes to initiate contact with. If this young man has been deemed worthy of her attention, we should respect her choice."

"Yes, Ma'am," Moorcroft replied, suitably chastised by his Queen. "Would you um… would you like me to continue to monitor the situation?"

Ruth thought it over for a brief moment.

She and Emma were not the closest of people, so she doubted she would have known about this _Killian Jones,_ were it not for Moorcroft, and his folder. But she also didn't feel comfortable spying on her granddaughter in such a way, when she knew that Emma was intelligent enough to make her own decisions in life.

Yet, a larger part of her knew that for Emma to have engaged the young man in the first place, she must have found something special in him. And Ruth knew that if she had, _Killian Jones_ would become a name she'd hear more and more of, in the future.

"No," she replied eventually. "If there's no reason for us to be concerned about her safety, then there is no reason for us to monitor her behavior. The social media team will continue to watch the exchanges, as part of their duties. I'm sure, if something were to change, they'd make me aware of the situation when necessary. Until then, I can see nothing wrong with Emma wishing to communicate with someone in such a manner."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." Moorcroft left with a small bow to his Queen, just as he had arrived.

When he had gone, Ruth made herself another cup of tea, before turning on her computer monitor once more, and Googling the name _Killian Jones._ She spent ten minutes reading his pages on Wikipedia, and Internet Movie Database, before she checked out his social media accounts for herself. The interactions between himself and Emma had been right near the top of her search results, and for a moment, she busied herself reading a few of the articles that had been posted about their flirtations.

In the end, Ruth didn't end up sleeping much that night.

Instead of spending most of her evening at her desk, dealing with a crisis, as she had expected her night to end; she spent it watching the indie movies that were listed under _Killian Jones's_ filmography, and that were currently available for streaming on Netflix.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading.**


	2. The Joneses Awakening

It had all started when they arrived for Mass.

"Is it me, or are people acting a little odd today?" Brennan asked, as they made their way through the crowds of people, to the usual pews they took, every Sunday.

"Maybe something happened in town?" his wife suggested.

Brennan didn't seem terribly convinced, but he let the subject drop, as they greeted their friends with a small nod of the head, and took their seats.

Clive leaned over the gap between them, and himself, to whisper, "I'm surprised you two are here today."

"Why?" Ailene probed, her curiosity growing by the second.

"We thought you'd be busy meeting the future daughter-in-law." Clive cackled at his own joke, but neither one of the Joneses had time to ask what he meant, before the church fell silent, as the priest began his sermon.

The service itself passed as normal. But Ailene and Brennan both became increasingly aware of the looks they were garnering from the people around them, as it progressed.

Clearly, whatever had happened involved their family and not the town as a whole.

It was only when they made their way out of the building, after the service, that they noticed the whispers around them.

"Okay, what's going on?" Ailene demanded, as they caught up to their small group of friends.

"Shouldn't we be asking you that?" Sandra replied snippily.

Ailene had never heard that tone from someone she called a friend, before. But she knew she didn't like it. "If I knew what was going on, I wouldn't be asking," she snapped back. "So, how about you start acting like the friend you're supposed to be, and tell us what you think it is we should know?"

Sandra looked suitably chastised by Ailene's outburst, as she reached into her bag to pull out a folded newspaper, before handing it over.

"What's this?" Brennan asked, reaching out to take it before his wife could. He didn't like the growing whispers and stares around the two of them, and all of his instincts were _screaming_ at him to protect his wife.

"Open it," was all Sandra said.

Brennan flipped the paper over before he unfolded it. The moment his eyes landed on the image on the front page, they widened in shock, as Ailene gasped beside him.

"Is that…?"

"Killian," he finished, on her behalf.

There, on the front page of _The Sun_ , beaming back at him, was a picture of their youngest son, with his arm wrapped around the waist of Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Cambridge.

"You didn't know?" Clive asked carefully.

"Obviously not," Ailene snapped back at him. "What does it say?" she asked her husband.

Brennan finally tore his eyes away from the picture, to read the text beside it. "Her Royal Highness, The Princess Emma of Cambridge, stole the show last night, as she arrived for the fourth annual Great Ormond Street Fundraiser. The young princess, who is first in line to the throne, arrived at the event in Camden with Irish actor, Killian Jones, as her date, as she had promised. The two have been capturing attention all month with their flirtatious banter on Twitter but stole headlines worldwide when their bet, on the outcome of the England and Republic of Ireland friendly, earlier in the week, resulted in the princess agreeing to a date with the actor. Insiders at the event told our reporters that the couple stayed for the entire evening, and looked incredibly cosy as they dined, danced, and took part in the auctions being held for the charity. While no pictures have surfaced from inside, Her Royal Highness took to Twitter, after leaving, to share a few of her own, while praising those who donated to the cause, and thanking Jones for being 'the perfect date' for the evening."

"How did you not know about this?" Sandra pressed. "Their messages have been all over the papers for weeks."

"We don't read that trash," Ailene shot back. She was still stuck between being stunned over the knowledge that her son's date had been a princess and being offended that her friends were acting so differently, as a result of it. "Did you know?" she asked her husband softly.

"Not a clue," he assured her. "You said he told you he had a date, Friday evening? He never mentioned a name, right?"

"No," she confirmed. "He said she was famous, and that we'd probably never even heard of her before. He _never_ said she was a princess. Who we've definitely heard of."

Brennan handed the paper back to Clive, without another word, before he wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, to lead her off the church premises, and back to the safety of their car. In that moment, they both needed some time to process the news, and not the stares and judging whispers of people they thought they could trust.

"They make a striking couple," was all he had to say on the matter.

* * *

The first thing Ailene did that morning was direct her husband to the nearest forecourt, to stop and grab a copy of each of the Sunday papers. She threw in one of each of the gossip magazines too, just to be safe.

The next thing she did was read each and every one of them, searching for a mention of her son.

To be fair to Ailene, she didn't have to try very hard. The pictures of Princess Emma and Killian, at the Great Ormond Street Hospital Fundraiser, were on the front pages of every single paper that morning, in various sizes. Even the Sunday magazines had their own articles on the new romantic interest, in the princess's life.

While the gossip magazines had been printed earlier in the week, Ailene quickly found mentions of her son in each of those too. Some just briefly touched upon the frequency of the messages he had been exchanging, in what appeared to be a public setting, with the princess. Others seemed to detail each and every message the two of them had sent to each other.

By the time she'd finished reading each article – twice – Ailene was still as stunned as she had been when she'd first seen the picture of the two of them together.

But, her excitement over the possibility of her son's new girlfriend, being an _actual_ princess, was starting to kick in.

So, she did the only two things she could think to do, at that moment.

First, she instructed her husband to head to Tesco, to print off a copy of the picture of _their son_ , with Princess Emma of Cambridge, and frame it.

Then, she picked up her phone to call Killian, hoping he'd be able to answer a few of her burning questions.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading.**


	3. Mary's Surprise

Mary was the first to admit that she wasn't always the quickest on the uptake. Ever since David's passing, she had avoided any and all forms of 'news' about her own family, preferring to get her information directly from the source, rather than picking through the half-truths that were published in newspapers, or on the internet. While it was an approach that often left her as the last to know about what was being said, it was the one that best protected her fragile heart, and so, Mary swore by it.

Until that morning.

"Have you spoken with Emma recently?" Ruby asked, feigning innocence, as she busied herself making coffee for the two of them.

"I saw her the other day," Mary replied distractedly, as she flicked through one of the files she had been given for her next official engagement. The Duchess always liked to memorise everything as best she could, before the day. That way, her interactions felt less rehearsed and far more genuinely caring. By doing so, she could offer people her full attention, instead of trying to focus on what she should, or shouldn't, be saying. "She seemed a little preoccupied, so I assume something big is happening with the foundation. She'll tell me when she's ready."

Ruby snorted a little, causing her friend to finally lift her head from the papers she had been buried in, all morning.

"What?" Mary asked. "What's that noise for? What do you know, that I don't?"

"Do you not listen to your advisors, at all?" the younger woman countered.

"Of course I do," Mary snapped, a little offended at the suggestion she wouldn't. Unlike the rest of her family, she hadn't been born a royal. Mary valued all of the guidance that her advisors gave her, no matter what the subject.

Ruby left the conversation hanging for a while, to see if her friend would say anything else. "And have they said anything about Emma?" she fished, when Mary remained silent for a beat too long.

"No. They know I don't like finding out information about my daughter from them."

The coffee was abandoned briefly, as Ruby made her way over to where her laptop was sleeping, to find one of the many articles she had read that week, about her goddaughter. It wasn't hard to find them. There seemed to be more and more springing up every single day, with some new 'exclusive,' that claimed to have come from someone close to the young princess.

She finally settled on the one written and published on the BBC News website, before carrying the device over to set it down, in front of Mary.

"I know you don't like reading this stuff, but I've checked it out for myself, and their facts are all correct," she told her friend, as she went back to finishing off their coffee, while she waited for Mary to read the article.

Twice.

"She's dating someone?" Mary finally asked, lifting her head from the screen.

"Looks like it," Ruby replied softly. "It seems fairly new. But they've not exactly been quiet about it so far. I'm surprised she hasn't told you about him."

"I'm her mother," Mary scoffed, "She never tells me _anything_ about her love life, unless it's to complain about a date her grandmother has set her up on. Oh...! Ruth!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Does she know?"

"I'd assume so," Ruby chuckled. "The tweets about their date went viral. Emma's acceptance was the most retweeted message on the site, in their history. There's no way Ruth's team would have missed those."

Mary hummed to suggest she'd heard what her friend had said, but she was once again distracted by the laptop, as she began tapping away at its keys.

"What are you doing now?" Ruby asked, abandoning her own seat to take the one besides Mary.

The screen had switched from the BBC News article Ruby had originally opened it up to, to the familiar Google Images screen, filled with dozens and dozens of images of Emma's new boyfriend.

"Oh, look at this one," Mary exclaimed, reaching out to slap the back of her hand against Ruby's arm, to grab her attention. It wasn't needed. Ruby's gaze was already fully focused on the screen in front of her, as Mary pulled up each of the search results to examine them closer. "Look how handsome he is."

While a large part of her wanted to protest that her friend was speaking about the man Emma was apparently dating, she had to admit, Mary had a good point. Ruby had never even heard of Killian Jones, until the news started mentioning his name, in the same segment as Emma's. So, she'd certainly never seen any of his pictures before.

"Oh, look at _that_ one," Mary interrupted, as she pulled up what appeared to be a topless shot of Killian.

"I think that's photoshopped," Ruby cringed, tilting her head to the side, in an attempt to try and puzzle out what she was seeing. "It looks like he's a big hit with the fans of the show he's on."

"Of course he is," Mary scoffed. "If he's dating my daughter, then he's a wonderful human being. Why wouldn't people love him?"

Ruby chuckled at her friend's words, but her heart warmed all the same.

 _This_ was why she and Mary were so close.

Mary had undoubtedly been gifted a rough hand in her life. She'd been thrust into the spotlight the moment she'd started dating David, and had never left it. She'd had to watch as her husband slowly deteriorated in her arms, before finally letting go of his hold on life. And, instead of grieving in private, Mary had been forced to share that moment with the entire world. With David gone, she'd been left alone to raise their young daughter, with the added pressure that she was also raising the future Queen of England.

Ruby had no idea how her friend had managed to get out of bed, those first few mornings without her husband, let alone how she'd managed to raise such a wonderfully grounded and intelligent daughter, too.

If anyone in the country deserved a medal, Ruby thought her best-friend surely did.

Yet, through it all, Mary had never once lost her belief in others. If anyone could see the good in another human being, it was her. And it was a trait she'd managed to pass along to her beautiful daughter, as well.

"What are you doing now?" Ruby chuckled, as she watched Mary navigate away from Google Images, and onto YouTube.

"Seeing if I can find some of his interviews," her best friend replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Wikipedia says he's Irish. I bet he has a wonderful accent. I wonder if he sings to her? Oh, I bet he's such a sweet boy. He's going to be just perfect for Emma."

Ruby reached for her coffee, to drain the last of it, as she settled back into her seat, to watch the interviews Mary had discovered online.

Her best friend hadn't even met the guy… yet, but she was certain Killian Jones would be getting a huge seal of approval from The Duchess of Cambridge when she did.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Part 3 is due to begin posting on the 1** **st** **of February.**


	4. Brennan's Understanding

"What are you doing?" Brennan croaked out. He rolled over in bed to find his wife already fully alert and scrolling through something on the laptop Killian had given to them three years ago for Christmas. He flicked a quick glance over to the alarm clock beside the bed and groaned when the flashing numbers told him it was only a little after six.

"Checking the news," she replied, like the answer should be completely obvious to him.

"At six _am_? Did someone die?"

"No, Brennan. I'm checking the news to see what they have written about _our_ son. Remember? The one I gave birth to thirty-four-years ago and just happens to be dating a princess." She threw a dirty look over to where her husband was still laying before her eyes flew back to the screen in front of her, and she started tapping away once more.

"What's it say?" he sighed. As much as Brennan was interested in the new woman in his youngest son's life, he preferred to get his information directly from Killian, and not whatever news sites his wife was currently browsing.

"He looked so happy last night. And look how beautiful they are together," she gushed. Ailene turned the screen round to face her husband, and he groaned once more when he realised he wouldn't be getting any more sleep that morning.

Brennan pulled himself up into a sitting position before he angled the screen to see a little better. Ailene had countless tabs open in the browser, but the one she wanted to show him featured a series of images of Her Royal Highness, Princess Emma of Cambridge and their son. Some were of just the two of them, wrapped up in their own little bubble as they exited their car. He was proud to see that it looked like his son was the perfect gentleman that evening, helping the princess from their vehicle, and up the stairs on their way into the home of the Canadian Prime Minister. The rest were taken of the four of them together, and Brennan already knew at least one of those would be on the wall before the end of the day.

He also had to admit to himself that his wife was right, they really did make a beautiful couple. Ever since Killian had mentioned knowing the princess, he'd struggled to picture his son with her. He couldn't imagine the two of them having much in common, or his own son living up to the image set by the British Royal Family. But seeing them together in public, looking at each other as if they were just two normal people, completely infatuated by the other, made Brennan realise something. Maybe this time the stereotypes weren't right. Because if the looks on their faces were anything to judge by, his son was already considering some kind of future with the woman who seemed just as taken by him, as he was by her.

"I need to call him," Ailene declared, startling her husband out of his mind.

"It's um, it's like ten _pm_ ," he warned. "They might not be back from dinner yet."

"You're right," she agreed. "I'll wait a few hours. There's a couple of sites I haven't checked yet anyway."

Brennan rolled over in the bed and screwed his eyes shut, hoping that he'd be able to trick his brain into thinking it was still the middle of the night, so he could sleep a little more.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Brennan asked for the second time that day, as he stood the few shopping bags onto the counter in the kitchen, and turned to face his wife.

"Killian's not answering his phone."

"He's probably busy," he explained. "He was out late last night. Maybe he's sleeping it off. Or, maybe he's out with the princess. I don't think we need to be too worried about him just yet."

"I'll try once more," his wife reasoned as she ended the call, before hitting dial on her son's number again. Brennan shook his head good-naturedly and pressed a kiss to his wife's cheek, before moving to unload the shopping he'd bought that evening, on his way home from work.

He wasn't expecting someone to answer her call.

"Who's this? Why do you have my son's phone?" Ailene demanded, as Brennan stopped what he was doing, and made his way round to his wife's side. There had to be a reasonable explanation for why someone else had answered Killian's phone, right?

"Oh, well… that's rather sweet of you." Ailene's tone softened, and Brennan felt every muscle in his body relax at it. There was no way anything was wrong with Killian if his wife was that calm. "What's your name, Dear?"

The noise that left his wife's mouth at the small utterance on the other end of the line was definitely not human.

"What? What is it?" he worried, his mind immediately supplying dozens of explanations for who had answered the call and why. "What's wrong?"

Ailene waved his attention away a little aggressively, as she took a few deep breaths to try and compose herself, before she finally asked, "Princess Emma? That Emma?"

"Shit," Brennan whispered to himself. He had not been expecting that. While he was pretty certain his son had developed feelings for the royal woman he'd accidentally ran into in London a few months back, he wasn't sure how far or how fast their relationship had moved since then. They were still maintaining a friendship status with the public, and while he knew that the press wasn't always accurate in their reporting, he hadn't been expecting this kind of confirmation that Princess Emma of Cambridge was dating his son.

And apparently, neither was his wife. "You spent the night with my son?" she asked, a touch of hysteria creeping into her tone.

"Ailene," he chided. Killian's sex life was most definitely none of their business.

She waved away his concerns once more, as she listened to whatever it was Princess Emma had to say. "I trust he was a true gentleman all night?" she asked.

Brennan wanted to scoff at that question. His son was a sweet and kind man, who treated everyone the way he'd always wanted to be treated himself. It was one of Killian's biggest strengths in life, and also one of his biggest weaknesses. As a child, it had left Killian as an open target for bullies, and those who were jealous of what he'd achieved with his life. As an adult, it had turned him into a wonderful young man, who had managed to form plenty of long and lasting friendships, as a result of his personality.

But Brennan also knew that if the young princess had spent the night with their son, gentlemanly behaviour probably wasn't on either of their agendas for the evening.

"Are you sure about that?" Ailene questioned suspiciously "Asking a princess out on a date for a bet, isn't terribly gentlemanly."

Brennan had to give his wife that one. Of all the ways he'd imagined his son dating again, asking a Princess out after winning a bet on Twitter wasn't it. Hell, Brennan wouldn't have even expected that kind of stunt from Liam. But he had to admit, from what little he'd seen of the press coverage since that day, Killian had definitely made a name and reputation for himself, as a result of it.

"And how often is that?" Ailene wondered, as she replied to whatever it was Princess Emma had told her, while she made herself comfortable at the kitchen table.

Brennan sighed as he took in his wife's posture. He knew that pose well. It was one that told him she had no intention of hanging up the phone any time soon. But as long as Princess Emma was happy talking to her, he wasn't going to say anything. Instead, he brushed a sweet kiss to Ailene's head, before he returned to putting away the shopping, and making the two of them a mug of tea.

* * *

 **I promise I am working on all your requests. I'm just squeezing them in between other things.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	5. Robin's Realization

**This one covers scenes between chapters 26 and 33 of Read All About It.**

* * *

"So, are we gonna talk about it?" Robin wondered, as he placed a bottle of beer in front of his best friend.

"Talk about what?" Killian asked innocently. But Robin wasn't buying a word of it.

From the moment his friend had first uploaded the picture of himself with Princess Emma of Cambridge, the press had been going crazy for the budding romance that seemed to be building between the young royal, and the relatively unknown actor.

For the most part, Robin had sat back and watched it unfold in silence. He'd always known that Killian had been interested in the princess, but he never expected her to reciprocate that interest. At first, he'd thought it was just a little bit of friendly banter on her end. But when she'd agreed to that bet, Robin had known something more was going on behind the scenes that his friend hadn't told him about, and wasn't showing to the rest of the world.

"That beautiful blonde you went on a date with a few weeks ago?" he prodded. He didn't want to make Killian feel uncomfortable, but the man was his best friend. He wanted to know what was happening in the guy's life.

"Actually, it was more than one."

"Come again?" Robin asked, screwing his face up in confusion. His friend had been on a date with what was arguably the guy's dream girl. Why would he want to date other blondes as well?

"It was more than one date."

Robin choked on the mouthful of beer he was attempting to swallow, spraying it across his lap in the process, as Killian sipped his own to hide his smug smile. "You've been on more than one date with her?" he finally asked, as he dabbed at his jeans with a piece of kitchen paper.

"Yep."

While Killian seemed to be withholding all of the juiciest information, Robin could tell that his friend was dying for an excuse to talk about this. He just needed a little help to pull it out of him. "When?"

"You do realise you're turning into a teenage girl right before my eyes, right? Want me to braid your hair while we gossip?" Killian might have been teasing him, but Robin could tell from the way he slid forward a little in his seat that he was clearly eager to share. "We went out Friday night, which you know about, spent all day Saturday at Clarence House, and then Sunday we climbed the 02 Arena."

"Are you telling me you spent the entire weekend with the Princess of Cambridge?" Robin questioned, just to be certain that he was hearing what his brain was telling him was being spoken.

Killian said nothing in reply, instead opting to simply nod his agreement.

Robin sunk back into his own chair as shockwaves washed over him. The first date with the princess had been a huge deal. He'd seen the way news outlets all over the globe had picked up the story and ran with it. But hearing that the two of them had been basically inseparable all weekend told him far more than his friend was saying.

Killian was already in deep, and it sounded like the princess was right there with him.

"Damn, Dude. You got it bad," he eventually muttered, as Killian nodded his agreement.

* * *

Robin didn't realise that the rest of the world was a little slow in catching up when it came to the news about his best friend's new girlfriend, until lunchtime the next day. He knew that Princess Emma of Cambridge was probably known by the majority of the world, but he didn't realise that her every move wasn't quite as heavily reported on the other side of the globe, as it was back home.

"Ugh," Killian sighed, scratching a hand through his hair as he thumbed through something on his phone.

Robin and Belle both turned curious glances his way, wondering what could have caused that kind of reaction from their friend.

"My brother found my Twitter feed," was all he said.

Robin snorted a little as he imagined Liam's glee at discovering that kind of flirtatious banter for the very first time. There was no way Killian would live that down, no matter what happened between himself and the princess. But it was the confused look on their American friend's face that surprised him the most.

"Did you really think dating a princess would go unnoticed?" he asked, sipping delicately from his spoonful of soup.

The way Belle choked on her coffee drew their attention to her, as Robin leaned over to gently pat her on the back.

"One date," Killian protested. Then hurried to correct himself when he recalled the conversation the two of them had shared the night before. "Okay, one _public_ date that people know about. Doesn't mean we're dating. Now my brother's gonna be reporting everything I say back to me mam."

Robin snorted again at the thought of Ailene's inquisition when she finally managed to get in touch with her son, later that day. Because there were no doubts in his mind that Ailene would be calling every number she had for him, every hour, on the hour, until he answered her calls.

Belle looked like she was about to say something, but Killian's declaration of, "Holy shit," had them both asking, "What?" instead.

"Emma," he mumbled, still clearly stunned by whatever he was seeing on his screen. "She's coming to Canada next week."

Killian was already stood with his phone pressed to his ear before Robin or Belle could say anything else to him.

"He's dating a princess?" Belle asked quietly. "I thought that was just a joke."

Robin snorted a little at her innocence. "You clearly haven't been reading his Twitter feed either." He finished off his lunch, pushing the bowl away from him slightly as Belle did the same, and gestured for her to follow him back to his trailer.

While Robin knew that it was likely at least someone on the crew knew about Killian's love life, he didn't want to expose his best friend's secrets to everyone without Killian's permission.

"So, he's really dating a princess?" Belle pressed, the moment she pulled the door closed behind herself.

Robin chuckled as he pulled up the Twitter app on his phone, and quickly navigated over to Killian's own feed.

"Here you go," he told her, handing over the small device. "Enjoy."

Robin watched as Belle scrolled back through the public messages their friend had been exchanging with a princess.

 _An actual princess._

Her eyes seemed to grow wider with each movement she made, until she finally came to the very first tweet he'd sent, on the day they'd first met.

"Holy shit," she mumbled. "This is really happening."

"Mhm hmm," Robin agreed, handing her a can of soda.

"He's in deep, isn't he?"

"I think they both are," Robin confessed, as he took the seat opposite the one Belle had flopped down into. "He told me that he spent some time at her home, at Clarence _freaking_ House, the day after their date. And then they spent the Sunday together too. If this was all some kind of publicity stunt, she'd have dropped him after that date and been done with it. She spent that weekend with him because she feels something for him too."

"Holy shit. This is a big deal, isn't it?"

"Huge," Robin chuckled. "So fucking huge."

"How are more people not talking about this?" Belle demanded suddenly. "Is it because they think it's a joke?"

"People _are_ talking about this," he assured her. "From what I can tell, it's been more predominantly covered in the UK than it has over here. But it _is_ being covered. And so far, most of what I've seen has been fairly positive."

Robin would never admit it to his friend, but after the big date, he'd done some digging into the public perception around the two of them. Killian was his best friend, and Robin had been worried about him. While the flirty banter had been fun to sit back and watch, to begin with, as soon as the bet had been made and won, Robin had started to worry. Killian was a good man, and clearly, the Princess of Cambridge saw some of that in him. But he didn't want his friend to get hurt. No matter what became of their relationship, Killian would always be known as the guy who asked a princess out on a date, as a result of a bet. So Robin had wanted to know what people thought of that.

At first, the press hadn't been quite sure what to make of Killian, or the flirty tweets he was sending to a member of the royal family. Some sites had known him for his role in Fairytales and seemed incredibly excited that Killian Jones might end up at the centre of his own fairy-tale romance. The outlets that saw him as a relatively unknown actor were sceptical about the longevity of the relationship, and how appropriate he was as a potential suitor for the next Queen of England. But the longer the two of them continued to tweet, exposing their connection and intentions to the entire world, the more the coverage seemed to change. The sceptics were slowly beginning to realise that this wasn't some publicity stunt. That maybe, just maybe, two people from two entirely different walks of life had managed to form a connection that defied all of the odds.

"It has?" Belle asked. She seemed genuinely concerned for their friend, and Robin loved her a little more for it. "They're not sending him hate or anything, are they?"

"No more than usual," he assured her. "And what they do send, I don't think he'll ever see. He's not exactly tech savvy. But there seems to be a lot of people who think they're really cute together."

"Of course they do. Have you read these messages?"

Robin snorted a little at his friend's impassioned declaration before a comfortable silence settled over the two of them. Thoughts were racing through his mind as he considered everything that had happened over the last few months.

"Things are about to get a little crazy, aren't they?" Belle asked.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But the good kind of crazy. I've never seen him look so smitten with someone before."

"He deserves that."

* * *

"Has anyone heard from him at all?" Regina asked, as she stuffed her hands into her pockets. It didn't usually take Killian that long to buzz them up.

"He had a big date last night, he's probably sleeping it off." Robin winked in Belle's direction, and she had to smother a chuckle at the devious look on his face.

They'd both seen the coverage of the State Dinner from the night before. While Killian and Princess Emma had been dining with the Canadian Prime Minister and his wife, Belle and Robin had been sending each other cute articles they'd found online about their friend. While neither of them knew much about royalty or state functions, apparently the press saw Killian's inclusion in one as a big deal. And suddenly, the perceived relationship between Princess Emma of Cambridge and Killian Jones was much bigger news than anyone had originally thought it to be.

"Ugh. I didn't need to know that," Regina scoffed. "Can't you message him or something and find out what's going on? I really don't want to have dragged my ass all the way across town to find out he's not even home."

"Actually, that's probably a good idea," Robin mumbled, as he pulled out his phone. He hadn't stopped to think that after their date the night before, Killian and the princess might have gone out again that evening. After all, they had spent the whole weekend together the last time they'd been on a public date.

He kept the text short and sweet, hoping that it would come across as gentle teasing, and not an accusation.

 **Did you forget poker night?**

Killian didn't reply, but the short sharp buzz of the door unlocking followed soon after, and Robin shot a smug look over his shoulder at his gathered friends.

He didn't say anything else as they stepped into the elevator to ride up to the familiar floor of Killian's apartment. But Robin's mind was racing. Killian was home, but would he be alone when they got there? Was it too soon for him to be having sleepovers with a princess? Could princesses have sex outside of marriage?

"You coming?" Will asked, startling him out of his thoughts. Robin hadn't realised that the elevator had stopped, or that his friends had all left it.

"Yeah, sorry. Lost in thought," he chuckled.

"Girl troubles?" Will teased softly.

"Yeah, but not the way you're thinking." Robin used the excuse of Killian's front door to avoid any more questions, as he knocked sharply on it. "Alright mate, thought you'd forgotten about us for a minute there," he chuckled, as his friend pulled the door open for them to enter the apartment.

The lounge was empty, which had Robin frowning a little. A large part of him had truly expected to see a princess sat on his friend's sofa, and now that she wasn't, he was a little disappointed.

"So, Robin says you had a big date last night." Belle dropped down onto the sofa while her friends busied themselves in Killian's kitchen, grabbing glasses for the drinks they'd brought with them, and bowls for the snacks.

"Of course he did. He's worse than me Mam." Killian threw his best friend a dirty look, but Robin simply shrugged his shoulders in response. Did he honestly think that people wouldn't be talking about his second public date with the Princess of Cambridge?

"Hey, it's not my fault you're dating someone so high profile. I saw all those pictures of the two of you with the Canadian Prime Minister and his wife."

"You met the Prime Minister?" Regina interrupted, looking somewhat shocked.

"Yeah, I had dinner with him and his wife last night," Killian explained, as he passed her a glass of the red wine that she'd brought with her. They'd all learned years ago that Regina had very particular tastes in every aspect of her life. "His wife's a huge fan of the show."

"Seriously?" Robin scoffed. "You just attract them all, dontcha?"

Of course he'd have both a princess and a prime minister's wife lusting after him. Robin would bet his house that it was the bloody accent that did it for them.

"Who's he attracting?"

The sound of the very British voice from the back of the apartment caught everyone's attention, and as one, the room seemed to turn to see just who it was that had spoken. Robin didn't need to look. He knew that voice. He just wasn't sure he could trust himself to believe what he was hearing.

Princess Emma of Cambridge was stood in the middle of his best friend's home, wearing the most comfortable looking outfit Robin had ever seen her in. He couldn't remember her being pictured in jeans before.

"Aurora," Killian answered for her, already gravitating over to where she was standing.

"Not a huge surprise, really. I keep telling you, it's the accent."

Robin's brain was screaming at him _YES. SHE GETS IT!_ But he found that actually forming any kind of words was incredibly difficult at that moment. He was stood in the same room as an actual princess. A princess who might have been off duty, but was still radiating that air of confidence and poise that came from her unique upbringing.

His friend looked as cool as a cucumber as he carried on rooting through the refrigerator to pull out another bottle of beer for Princess Emma of Cambridge. The group seemed entirely frozen as they watched Killian uncap his own drink, before brushing softly past the princess to set it down on the counter.

"You're um, you're a princess?" Belle asked softly. Robin knew that she knew the answer to her own question. But Belle still sounded like she couldn't quite believe the words that were leaving her mouth.

"Yes, I am."

"And you're dating Killian?" she pressed, still sounding like the words coming from her mouth were being spoken without her knowledge and understanding of them.

Emma turned to look at the man in question, and Robin watched as some kind of private conversation passed between the two of them. Nothing was said out loud, but he knew so much was being communicated with that simple look.

"Don't believe everything you read in the papers." Killian shrugged as if he somehow thought that would answer the many questions his friends were going to have.

"So you're not together?" Robin asked. Because he was pretty sure the last time they had spoken, Killian had all but confirmed he was completely and utterly smitten with the princess.

"I didn't say that," he corrected quickly, as he turned his attention to the small table by the windows. Robin assumed it was his friend's way of trying to hide the blush he could see creeping up the back of Killian's neck.

"So, in this case, the papers are right, because you are?"

"I think what Killian's _trying,_ and failing miserably to say, is that while you shouldn't believe everything you read in the papers, they do get some things right," Princess Emma explained, making more sense than anyone else had since she'd entered the room. "For example, yes, we are together, but we have not been secretly engaged for years as _People Magazine_ are currently implying." She shrugged the allegation off like it was made every day. Although considering who she was, Robin assumed that could be a normal part of her life.

"They are?" Killian asked, as he turned wide eyes her way.

"Seriously?" Princess Emma chuckled. "The internet. I know you have it."

Robin attempted to shake off the surrealness of the moment by moving to offer his friend a hand, so they could pull out the table and set up for the game. Although, the thought of a princess playing poker wasn't helping him with that task.

As he moved past her, Robin found that his eyes were immediately drawn to the large mark blossoming on the princess's chest.

 _Yep. He was not getting over the bizarreness of this night anytime soon._

"But you are sleeping together, right?" he found himself asking. "I mean, that would explain the mark on your chest."

Princess Emma looked down at the bare skin on show around her décolletage before she turned her eyes to Killian. "Shit," she exclaimed.

"Not my fault you picked such a low-cut shirt," Killian teased, his eyes dancing with a kind of affectionate humour Robin had never seen before. Killian winked at the princess for added effect and laughed as she grabbed one of the cushions from the couch to throw at his head.

With Princess Emma out of the room, everyone in it seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. But it was Will who finally put the words to what they had all been feeling.

"Well… this night just got _really_ interesting."

* * *

While things had been a little tense in the apartment to begin with, it soon became obvious to Robin and the rest of their group, that Princess Emma might have had an unusual title to her name, but she was just as normal as the rest of them.

She drank the same beer that everyone was drinking. She ate the same pizza that they had ordered to share. (It was arguably the best in town, but probably nowhere near up to the standards that Robin imagined she'd enjoyed before). And she laughed and joked with everyone else, while she ran gentle fingers through Killian's hair, or played with his hand.

It was so normal that after an hour had passed, Robin had stopped thinking of her as Princess Emma, and had started referring to her only as Emma.

She was also one hell of a poker player.

"Damn, woman. You are ruthless," Will groaned, as he threw his hand down onto the table. Robin had lost count of how much Emma must have won from them all that evening. Her stack of Canadian Dollars was looking pretty impressive, while Robin's own was virtually non-existent.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm really not," she giggled, using her new earnings to fan her slightly flushed face before she carefully stacked the bills to add to the pile. "Now I can buy that new pair of shoes I've been wanting."

"Don't you have hundreds already?" Killian snorted, as he slipped his arm around her waist to tuck her into his side.

It had been interesting watching his friend interact with Emma all evening. Even if he hadn't seen the mark on her neck when he'd first arrived, Robin would have known that the two of them had been intimate. Their touches conveyed their feelings for each other perfectly, and neither of them had been able to keep their hands off the other throughout the game.

"Yeah. I'll donate it to the children's hospital I'm visiting tomorrow." Emma yawned into the back of her hand, before dropping her head back down to Killian's shoulder.

Robin watched as his friend combed his fingers through her hair softly before he finally spoke. "Speaking of which, I think we should get you to bed. Something tells me Anton will have my head if you're too hungover tomorrow."

Robin didn't miss the look that passed around the table at the implication that Emma would be spending the night with Killian. Again. But he watched as his friends worked together to tidy the apartment as best they could, before grabbing their jackets to leave.

"It was lovely to meet you tonight, Emma."

"You too," she told him, reaching out to squeeze his arm gently. Robin had never expected her to be so warm and friendly. "I truly hope this won't be the last meeting we have, while I'm in the country."

"Oh, I have no doubts we'll see each other again soon," Robin chuckled, as he leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. "Have fun tomorrow, and make sure you drink plenty of water tonight to keep that hangover at bay."

Emma said goodbye to everyone else in the group in much the same way, before Killian finally closed the door behind them, to take his girlfriend to bed.

"Well… that was an experience," Will chuckled, as they climbed into the elevator carriage to head down to the parking garage once more.

"She's lovely," Belle gushed. "I think she's going to be wonderful for Killian."

There was a murmur of agreement in the small space before the people inside of it fell silent.

"She's _so_ pretty," Regina finally spoke up, having been oddly silent all night. "Did anyone else expect her to be _that_ pretty?"

"I think Princess Emma has a new fan," Robin teased, as he slung his arm around Regina's shoulders.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	6. Liam's Conflict

**This one is based on the Skype call that takes place in chapter 47 of Read All About It.**

* * *

"Oh good, there you are."

"Yes, here I am," he deadpanned. "The same place I always am at this time of the evening."

"Don't be facetious, Liam. It's not becoming," his mother snapped. She was busy fussing with her hair in the mirror hanging over the fireplace, but Liam still caught the disapproving brow she arched in his direction.

"Are we expecting guests?" he asked, as he watched his mother curiously. Normally, he was warned in advance about this kind of thing, and it gave him plenty of notice to make sure he was busy for the night.

"Killian's calling."

"Is Kilian expecting guests?" he continued, because his mother had never put so much effort into her appearance before a Skype call with his brother before.

 _Was she wearing lipstick?_

"Maybe," was all she replied cryptically, as they heard Brennan's greeting of, "Good evening, Son," echo down the hall.

"Hurry up and do something with your hair," Ailene told her eldest son, as she pushed herself up onto her toes to try and flatten it down for him, while he batted her hands away. "We're already late."

"Knock it off, Ma," he complained. "I'm a thirty-six-year-old man. I think I can sort my own hair, thanks."

"Then sort it," she shot back, before making her way through to the kitchen where Brennan was already sat in front of their laptop.

Liam shot his own reflection a look in the mirror and sighed a little at the damage his mother's fingers had done to his style. He'd been working all day, so he hadn't made as much of an effort as he usually did, but at least it hadn't looked like someone had flattened his hair to his head like it currently did. He ran his hand roughly through his shaggy locks to shake out the damage his mother had done, before deciding to leave everything as it was. After all, it was only Killian he was seeing. His little brother had been there when Liam had gone through both his shaved head and ponytail phases in life, so messy hair shouldn't really be a problem for the youngest Jones brother.

"You know, _I_ could pay for you all to come and visit me, right?" he heard Killian's voice ask, as he made his way over to stand on the other side of his father, while Brennan pushed the laptop back a little to put all three of them into the frame.

"Hey Killy," he crowed obnoxiously, as he waved at the camera. Killian had made the mistake of professing just how much he hated that nickname when he was seven-years-old, and Liam had made a point to use it as often as he could, ever since then. "Wasn't sure we'd be hearing from you while your girlfriend's in town."

Ailene reached around behind her husband to slap him over the back of his head, as she shot him a look of warning before turning her attention back to the screen.

"Ignore your brother, Killian. He's just jealous. How are you, Sweetheart? You're eating properly, right?"

Liam brought a hand up to rub at the back of his head as he lowered his eyes to the table top. While he'd never put words to how he was feeling, his mother had hit pretty close with her own. Liam wasn't stupid, he'd seen all of the coverage being offered to the relationship his brother was in with the Princess of Cambridge, especially now that it had been officially confirmed by her people. And as much as he was happy for his brother, he couldn't help but feel that bite of jealousy whenever he saw pictures of the two of them together.

Killian wasn't the only person in their home who had always found the princess to be beyond beautiful. And seeing his dream girl on the arm of his brother, of all people, stung a little, even if he had always believed her to be way out of his league.

"I had a great day today," Killian continued on, completely unaware of his brother's feelings. "Emma took me to a White Caps training session."

Liam felt his own face drop in surprise at his brother's words. Now, he was not only getting the girl, but that girl was also giving him those kinds of once-in-a-lifetime experiences that Liam was certain he'd never have a chance to experience himself.

 _How was that fair?_

"How?" he eventually croaked out, not entirely sure if he was asking his brother about the logistics of the arrangement, or how he'd managed to capture the interest of such an incredible woman to begin with.

 _It was probably both._

"One of their ground managers made the offer when Anton called about us attending the game last week," Killian explained, before his eyes drifted away from the camera to stare off in a direction that none of the rest of the Joneses could follow.

When his brother's gaze remained fixated on that something else for a moment too long, Liam found himself asking, "Are we not interesting enough?" His tone was perhaps a little too bitter in that moment, given the look his mother sent him, and Liam felt momentarily bad about that. He shouldn't be holding this relationship against his brother. It wasn't like Killian had deliberately set out to hurt him. The guy had simply taken advantage of a chance encounter with the woman of his dreams.

Liam would have done exactly the same thing in his situation.

But matters of the heart were rarely logical.

"Definitely not as interesting as what I can see right now," Killian mumbled distractedly. His smile widened as he pushed himself back from the camera a little to suddenly reveal the person stood beside him.

Because of course she was there, with her hair so obviously damp from his shower, and her body covered with what was clearly one of his shirts.

It was the cruellest kind of tease.

"Emma, I'd like you to meet my parents, Brennan and Ailene Jones, and my brother Liam," Killian introduced softly, as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side.

The princess's soft greeting of, "hi," seemed to echo loudly in the room, and Liam watched both of his parents' jaws drop in shock. While they'd all known about the relationship Killian was in, they'd clearly not been expecting to see such obvious evidence of the exact nature of that relationship for themselves.

His mother appeared to recover from her shock first, as she said, "It's lovely to speak with you again, Dear. How's your trip going?"

"Really well, thanks," Princess Emma replied easily. "Killian's taking good care of me, and I think we've managed to find that perfect balance between business and pleasure so far."

"Yeah. Emma's asked me to join her for one of her engagements tomorrow," his brother added, as he smiled up at the princess in his arms. "We're going to some kind of village fete, right?"

"Yep. When I was younger, my father's foundation rebuilt the hospital they have there. Every year since they've thrown a fundraising celebration in his honour. This is the first year I've been able to attend, but my mother's been many times before."

Liam watched as his brother's grip on the princess's waist tightened ever so slightly at the mention of her father. When she'd finished speaking, Killian leaned in to brush his lips lightly to the side of her head, and the woman in his arms seemed to melt that little bit more into his embrace.

It was such a small moment that many others would probably have completely overlooked it, if it had happened in a busy setting. But for Liam, it was that one small moment that told him everything he needed to know about his brother's new relationship.

Killian clearly knew more about the young princess than Liam had initially thought he would. That small token of his affection when she needed it most, proved that. Because while the whole world had known the fate of Prince David, Liam hadn't realised that over a decade later, his daughter was still hurting from that loss in a way that he couldn't even begin to understand.

Suddenly, his jealousy over his brother landing the girl of their dreams seemed so petty and childish. It was obvious that Killian and Princess Emma weren't just having some fun together before she settled down with some foreign prince to start a family. Liam could tell that they were both in love with each other, and at that moment, he'd never been happier for his brother.

Killian deserved someone who would love him for the man he was, not the man they wanted him to be.

Of course, that didn't mean that he couldn't continue to tease the guy relentlessly.

"So, Princess Emma, did my little brother make a complete and utter fool of himself today?" he asked.

The princess in question dissolved into a flood of giggles in Killian's arms, as his face flushed bright red and he protested, " _Younger_ brother. I'm you're _younger_ brother."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	7. Mary's Mistake

**This chapter is set between chapters 60 & 61 of Read All About It.**

* * *

"Your Highness, your daughter's plane landed safely eighteen minutes ago."

Mary slipped a battered looking leather bookmark in between the pages she had open before she closed the romance novel she was reading and set it down on the arm of her sofa. A quick look at the time told her that it was almost ten _pm_ , and while her daughter was normally a night owl, she didn't want to intrude after such a long flight.

"Thank you, Jacobs. I'll visit her tomorrow. It's late, you should get home to your wife."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Jacobs offered her a stiff bow before turning to leave the Duchess's home, closing the door softly behind himself.

Mary sat for a moment longer before she reached for the glass of wine to her left and stood from her seat. It had always felt strange to her that she lived in one of the busiest cities in the world, and yet – her home was always so silent.

David and Emma had added such vibrancy and energy to every place they'd ever resided. Both had shared a passion for music, and Mary could remember a time where there was always some kind of tune drifting down the hallway. But when David had passed away her home had fallen silent. Emma had stayed away from music as it reminded her too much of what she had lost. And Mary was too busy trying to hold herself together to notice.

So when the music had started again, it had only served to amplify the silence she'd been existing in since she'd said goodbye to her husband.

While Emma hadn't been entirely forthcoming about the new man in her life, Mary wasn't as oblivious as her daughter seemed to think she was. She'd seen the reports and articles written about their romance, just as she'd seen the same pictures that had left the internet squealing with delight.

Killian Jones was the person bringing music back to her daughter's life.

It might have taken almost twenty years, but Emma was finally moving on.

Mary knew that she'd never be able to move on with her life in the same way. But that evening, for the first time since her husband's passing, she found herself switching on the radio as she poured herself another glass of wine, before settling back down to finish her novel.

* * *

The next morning, Mary woke with a spring in her step. It had been a while since she had enjoyed some quality time with her daughter, so she was determined to rectify that as soon as possible. She knew that Emma was probably missing her boyfriend, now that she was on the other side of the world once more. And Mary hoped that a little mother and daughter time would help to lift her spirits.

But when she knocked on the front door to Emma's apartment there was no answer, and Mary started to panic a little. Her daughter had a tendency to push everyone she loved away when she was upset, and Mary didn't want her to go through anything else alone. Emma had already been through enough.

So she let herself into the apartment.

A quick scan of the main floor showed no signs of life, so Mary quietly made her way up the stairs.

 _Maybe Emma was just jetlagged and sleeping it off?_

In which case, she would make her daughter some quick meals to keep her going for the rest of the week, and then leave. As eager as she was to see Emma again, the last thing Mary wanted to do was invade her daughter's privacy while she was sleeping. However, when she pushed open Emma's bedroom door, the sight that met her eyes was not the one she had expected to see.

Emma's giggles cut off abruptly as she whipped her head around to see who had entered the room. When her eyes landed on her mother's form they widened in horror, before she yelled, "Mum! Have you never heard of knocking?"

Mary was pretty sure her face looked just as pale and traumatised as her daughter's did at that moment. While the man that had been holding himself above her had covered most of Emma's nudity, the same couldn't be said for himself. And she was horrified to realise that her first impression of Killian Jones would forever be of his naked arse.

The man in question seemed thoroughly humiliated by the entire experience, and Mary felt awful for him as she watched the guy bury his head in Emma's pillows to avoid her gaze.

It took her a moment to find her voice, and even longer to make her feet work, but when she did she was able to squeeze out a quick apology to them both. "You're right. I'm so sorry. Pretend I was never here. I'm gonna… go and do… stuff. Far away. It's nice to meet you, Killian," she called, backing out of the room and hurrying down the stairs.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ her mind chanted, as she headed down each step and further away from the bedroom. Who the hell told their daughter's boyfriend that it had been nice to meet him when all she'd seen of him so far was his bare backside?

When she finally made it to the kitchen she headed straight for the fridge to grab a cold bottle of water. Mary hadn't realised that her hands were shaking until that moment, but she wasn't sure she'd ever been so embarrassed in her entire life.

Unsure of what to do to make things right, she did what she always did when she needed advice. Mary fished out her phone to call her best friend, as she headed for the front door.

"Ruby, I think I just did something terrible," she said, as soon as the line connected.

"Oh, hey Mary. I'm good, thanks for asking. How are you?"

Mary sighed as she pulled the door to her daughter's home closed behind herself and then sagged against the wall to the left of it. "Ruby, I um… I think I just walked in on my daughter having sex with her boyfriend."

"Are you serious?" Ruby's tone had lost the playful banter it had originally carried and switched instead to incredulous disbelief so quickly, that Mary would have laughed if she thought the situation was funny. As it was, she was a little worried that she might have just scared poor Killian off for good.

"Unfortunately so. Oh God, what if I've just ruined this relationship for Emma? She _really_ likes this guy."

"If the guy likes her as much as the internet seems to _think_ he does, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Sure, things will be a little awkward to begin with, but eventually, you'll both be able to laugh about the whole situation. And if he can't get past this, then take comfort in the fact that he's not the right man for your daughter," Ruby offered.

"But it would kill Emma," Mary reasoned. While her daughter didn't often like to discuss her dating life and hadn't mentioned much about the new man she was seeing, Mary hadn't seen her this happy in years. The last thing she wanted was to be the person responsible for taking that from Emma.

"Maybe. But Emma would eventually realise the same thing," Ruby reasoned. "If this guy is as wonderful as everyone says he is, I don't think you have to worry about him being scared off right now, Mary. If I were you, I'd give them a couple of hours to calm down and process the incident, and then go back over and see your daughter. Treat them both like you would if it were the first time you'd met Killian."

"Do you um… do you think you'd maybe wanna join us for that?"

Mary was fully expecting her best friend to refuse the offer. Who in their right mind would want to put themselves into such an uncomfortable situation? But Ruby had never been like all of the other people in Mary's life. So when she spoke up, her answer wasn't exactly shocking.

"I'd love to. As long as you're not cooking."

"Hey! My cooking's not that bad," she protested, as she pushed herself away from the wall to start the short walk back to her own apartment. Mary would send her daughter a message about dinner when she got home. But for now, she'd take comfort from being able to talk freely to one of the people she loved most in the world. Because it had been a few weeks since Mary had last seen Ruby, and as far as she was concerned, that was a few weeks too long.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


End file.
